This parable of the absentee vineyard landowner can be found in Matthew, chapter 21:33, and Luke, chapter 20:9, almost word for word. Mark said that Jesus began to speak to them in parables or stories (Καὶ ἤρξατο αὐτοῖς ἐν παραβολαῖς λαλεῖν). This story was about a male landowner who planted a vineyard (ἀμπελῶνα ἄνθρωπος ἐφύτευσεν). He then put a fence around this vineyard (καὶ περιέθηκεν φραγμὸν). Then he dug a wine press (καὶ ὤρυξεν ὑπολήνιον). He even built a fortified watchtower (καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν πύργον), so that it was a very nice vineyard. This story is reminiscent of the allegory of the vineyard from Isaiah, chapter 5:1-2. Isaiah had a song about a friend’s fertile field. He also dug out stones and planted choice vines. He put a tower in the middle to look over the vineyard with a carved wine vat there also. However, he got bad grapes instead of good grapes. Clearly, he did not get what he expected. However, this landowner here leased his land or rented it to farmer tenants (καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς). Then he left that region and went away to another country (καὶ ἀπεδήμησεν). These last two things, renting and leaving the land, will cause him a problem.

This parable of the absentee landowner can be found in Mark, chapter 12:1, word for word, and Luke, chapter 20:9, almost word for word. Jesus wanted them to listen to another parable or story (Ἄλλην παραβολὴν ἀκούσατε) about a male landowner (Ἄνθρωπος ἦν οἰκοδεσπότης), who planted a vineyard (ὅστις ἐφύτευσεν ἀμπελῶνα). He then put a fence around it (καὶ φραγμὸν αὐτῷ περιέθηκεν) and dug a wine press in it (καὶ ὤρυξεν ἐν αὐτῷ ληνὸν). He even built a fortified watchtower (καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν πύργον). This seemed like a very nice vineyard. This was reminiscent of the allegory of the vineyard of Isaiah, chapter 5:1-2. Isaiah had a song about a friend’s fertile field. He also dug out stones and planted choice vines. He put a tower in the middle to look over the vineyard with a carved wine vat there also. However, he got bad grapes instead of good grapes. Clearly, he did not get what he expected. However, this landowner here leased his land or rented it to farmer tenants (καὶ ἐξέδετο αὐτὸν γεωργοῖς). Then he left that region and went away to another country (ἀπεδήμησεν). These last two things, renting and leaving the land will cause him a problem.

This parable is unique to Matthew. Jesus, via Matthew, explained that the kingdom of heaven was like (Ὁμοία γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν) a wealthy vineyard owner, the man who owned and was in charge of his land (ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ). He needed his grapes picked at the harvest time. He would hire day laborers or daily workers to do this difficult work. He went out early in the morning (ὅστις ἐξῆλθεν ἅμα πρω), probably around 6 AM. He wanted to hire some daily grape picker field laborers (μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας) to work on his land in his vineyard (εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ). This vineyard would have been a symbol of the prophets working in the vineyard of Israel.

There was no doubt that Yahweh, their God, would save the Israelites. They were his flock. They would shine like jewels on a crown in his land. There was no limit to the goodness and beauty of God. Grain and new wine would help the young men and the young maidens to flourish.

Amos wanted Amaziah to hear the word of Yahweh that he had heard. While Amaziah had said not to prophesize in Israel or against the house of Israel, Yahweh, via Amos, responded by telling him that his wife would become a prostitute in the city. Both his sons and daughters would die by the sword. His land would be parceled out by the line. Finally, Amaziah would die in a foreign unclean land, because Israel was going to be sent into exile into a land far from there. This was a very strong rebuke of Amaziah.

Joel noted that the attack of the locust grasshoppers was very severe, like the invasion of another country. He wanted the drunkards to wake up and weep. All those wine-drinkers should wail. They were going to have their sweet wine cut off from them. The powerful, innumerable invasion of the grasshoppers in his land was like the fangs of a lion’s teeth. This attack had laid waste the vines and the fig trees. This plague of locusts had splintered and stripped off the bark of the trees. They had thrown the trees to the ground, as the branches of the trees turned white.